National Science Foundation (NSF)
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
The NSF GRFP pays a $37,000 annual stipend plus a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance for three years (over a five-year window). Apply as a college senior heading to grad school, or in your first year of a research-based STEM master's/PhD. You must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident. Deadlines fall in early-to-mid November by field (Life Sciences ~Nov 10 in the 2025 cycle).
Who Can Apply
Award Amount
$37,000
Deadline
Early-to-m (2025)
Confirmed
Topics
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
The GRFP is the oldest U.S. graduate STEM fellowship and one of the first major awards a population-science or public-health-adjacent student realistically competes for. It funds the person, not a specific project, which makes it portable across institutions and topics.
Who can realistically apply
- College seniors intending to enroll in a full-time, research-based graduate program — this is the ideal first attempt.
- First-year graduate students in an eligible STEM field. As of recent cycles, graduate-student applicants are eligible only in the first year of their degree program (NSF GRFP solicitation).
- You must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
- You must not have earned a prior master's, professional, or doctoral degree, or completed more than one academic year of graduate study (limited exceptions apply).
This makes GRFP an undergrad-accessible application (you apply before matriculating) and a predoctoral one (first year only). It is not open to mid-program PhD students.
What it pays
- $37,000 annual stipend to the fellow.
- $16,000 cost-of-education allowance paid to the institution to cover tuition and mandatory fees.
- Three years of support, usable across a five-year fellowship period (you can bank "reserve" years).
Source: NSF GRFP program page.
Deadlines
Deadlines are field-specific and fall in early-to-mid November. In the 2025 cycle, all reference letters were due , with and several social/behavioral and education fields ~November 12, 2025 (). for the 2025 cycle; verify your exact field deadline at the source each year.